Misbah greater captain than Kardar, Imran: Peter

LAHORE - Peter Oborne has termed Misbahul Haq as all time best captain of Pakistan cricket even greater than former legends Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Imran Khan. In an exclusive interview with Radio Pakistan, Peter, who is a British journalist and chief political commentator of the Daily Telegraph and an author of generous biography of the cricketer Basil D'Oliveira who won two ‘book of the year’ awards, said: “Misbah has done extraordinary job for Pakistan. To me, he is all time best captain even greater than Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Imran Khan because he took the responsibility of the national team when Pakistan cricket was on verge of decline. It was his brave decision and commitment to his duty that he left no stone unturned in bringing out the sinking ship of Pakistan cricket from deep sea.” He elaborated: “Misbah helped the country’s cricket at the time, when it was facing the toughest times and no one was ready to take this greater responsibility, but it was Misbah who remained firm and determined in doing his duty and utilized all his capabilities in earning glories for the country.” He claimed: “Kardar is my hero who is real founder of Pakistan cricket. Being PCB chairman, he struggled hard against white nations and earned a great honour for the country and its cricket.” He also praised the beautiful and historical cricket ground of Gymkhana in the city of Lahore and termed it his most favourtie cricket ground. “During my visit to Pakistan, I always prefer to visit Lahore Gymkhana cricket ground which has remarkable memories as far as cricket in Asian region is concerned. It has honour to host Pakistan’s first Test match in 1960s while India won its first Test against Australia in 1935 at the same ground under the captaincy of great Syed Wazir Ali.” Expressing contentment over the security situation in Pakistan, Peter stated: “There is a significant improvement in the security situation of the country and I hope this improvement will help in bringing international cricket back here. It is very excruciating to see the players playing their home series away which puts immense pressure on them while playing against world’s top teams and affects their performance. The international cricket resumption in the country will help Pakistani players deliver in a better way and strengthen their confidence.” Admiring the passion of cricket in Pakistan, he said: “There is no dearth of talent in the country as cricket has spread in its each and every corner. There is some magic in Pakistan as it has produced some genius cricketers. It has enjoyed a great honour in the world of cricket so it must reestablish its integrity.” On Big-3 issue, he proposed that India should have carried other nations with it to make the idea far better. “Corruption is a universal problem now and it has strong roots in the game of cricket as well. The ICC should make a plan which should be equally beneficial for all its affiliated units and especially for the better of cricket.”